Schools cope College attempts to understand differences with financial Calls f orsolidarity resound on campus challenges By ELISABETH PONSOT tural community reflects the tumul- MANAGING EDITOR tuous nature of how these questions about race, gender, class and sexual- By SUZANNE MERKELSON EDITOR IN CHIEF For a moment on November 4, the ity unfold on a national scale. College seemed to come to a halt, a ver- "Periodically over time there have itable stand-still in an otherwise frenzied been incidents that have sparked the The current economic crisis was a night of excitement and celebration. kind of response that we've seen this central point of discussion in Presi- As president-elect Barack Obama year," Professor and Director of Edu- dent William D. Adams' Family took the stage to declare victory, stu- cation and chair of the Committee on Homecoming State of the College ad- dents on the Hill understood that what- Race and Racism Mark Tappan said. dress as well during the October ever our political leanings, we were all "Sometimes the response is the result Trustees ' meeting. According to Di- witness to a defining moment in our na- of one incident, other times it's been a rector of Communications David tion 's history. It was an image that sym- series of incidents, like this time when Eaton, the trustees spent a large bolized, in the words of President of the it all kind of built up." amount of time talking about the eco- College William D. Adams, "an incred- The "series of events" that Tappan nomic situation and its effects on ible piece of progress for the nation," — referred to include the Country Club Colby. While there were no major a memory that many students will weekend last fall, the Cinco de policy decisions made regarding cherish long beyond commencement. Mayo party held last spring, the Colby's finances, Eaton said that the Yet for some students, faculty and Lu'au themed Loudness this Sep- Trustees discussed the budget and administrators on the Hill, this historic tember and the Comedy Campaign began to make plans for the next fis- hour acted as a mirror, reflecting back Trail show that was held over Hal- cal year. the fractured image of a campus still loween weekend. Coupled with the The crisis has affected other col- grappling with its differences. impact of microaggressions, which leges and universities, with varying CULTURAL INSENSTTTVTTYON THE HILL arc felt on a regular basis, these outcomes. While Eaton said that The College's history with the cul- tural tensions that arise in a multicul- See FEATURE, Page 4 Institutions Campus organizes f orums tor disWssion f ollowing protest everywhere will edging change, but actually talking ous members of the faculty and unfold in a fundamen- By SUZANNE MERKELSON haveto adjustf...] about it." Students, faculty and staff CCOR student facilitators, who tally different way from EDITOR IN CHIEF most are unable gathered in the Pugh Center to hear recorded some of the answers on the way things unfold in The College community responded from Kupke and Assistant Professor of posters to share with the larger group. national political the- to reach a con- to the November 6 sit-in by address- Government Walter Hatch, who laid The groups' discussions led to even ater," Adams said. "But sensus on how ing some of its most basic demands: the ground rules for discussion in small more questions, shared with the larger that 's not that they're un- providing opportunities for students, groups. "Your main job is listening," group. "What are micro-aggressions?" related." He acknowl- much this will af- faculty and staff to talk about the issue Hatch told the crowded room. "There and "Why are there different sides?" edged that we live in a fect American openly as well as allowing some of is no magical truth [...] We just have Joe Atkins, Coordinator of Multicul- "small and intense com- those involved with the sit-in and the to hear each other." tural Student Pro- munity" and that recent higher education administration's response to address Those in atten- grams and Support, events here may not be in the long run. the community. dance were ran- concluded the as "glorious or magnifi- Last week, this occurred in two domly split into There is no mag- event by discussing cent historically" but in widely-attended events. On Wednes- smaller groups to ical truth [...]we CCOR and its the end "may be ei^en day, November 12, Brian Kupke '09 discuss questions goals of inspiring more important." spearheaded an event, loosely-titled ranging from "How just have to hear dialogue, rather The work, he said, Colby has a "long history of conser- "Dialogue Not Debate" hosted by var- do you characterize each other. than debate. was only beginning that vative [financial] management," ious professors and Campus Conver- the current racial The next night. Through address- other schools are facing major re- sation on Race (CCOR) student dynamic on cam- Walter Hatch evening's event, ing how the community "Wher- held in Page Com- could work together to strictions in expenditures, including .facilitators. This was a precursor to pus?" to Assistant Professor of Government hiring freezes of faculty and staff and the Thursday, November 13 commu- ever you are in this mons, was more of become better, stronger pauses in ongoing and future con- nity meeting hosted by President spectrum, what a forum than a dis- and more inclusive and struction plans. William D. Adams. would you like to cussion. The event how members can better According to Eaton , each school According to Kupke, "Dialogue Not say about the dynamic?" These featured various members of the Col- understand, value and varies in the amount of money it de- Debate" was "not just about acknowl- smaller discussions were led by vari- lege community giving advice, shar- honor differences, the 10M BOUIER/IME COlflY ECHO PresidentAdams spoke at a forumon NovemberJ 3. pends upon from its endowment for ing their points of view and College could start to its operating budget. This year, encouraging the community to engage tackle the obstacles it Colby will use about 18 to 19 per- in further discussion. Adams opened faces. He said this work cent (or $20 million) of its endow- the event, explaining why he had in- could start by hearing the following students to abandon their comfort ment on expenses like salaries and vited the community to join him in reflections from those who have a zones, she declared, and seek out new energy. At some schools, this per- Page and to provide some guiding stake in the issues. experiences. centage may be as hi gh as 40 (al- principles for the rest of the evening. Associate Professor of American "Cynicism is easy," she said. "Join though Eaton acknowledged that He explained that the College, as a Studies Margaret McFadden ad- me in being ridiculously idealistic and many schools have larger endow- community, had experienced extreme dressed the audience next, telling the optimistic [....] Decide to be fabulous." ments than Colby's). "discomfort, disappointment, frustra- students present that change had to Kupke, a Head Resident, spoke Colby's endowment value has de- tion and anxiety around the topic of come from them and not the adminis- next. After learning about the issues, creased by about 25 percent under the differences and diversity." He blamed tration. "There's one big obstacle to it "became [his] goal to keep people current economic climate. However, part of this on an "issue of communi- community, in my opinion, and it talking" and encourage "productive Colby uses a very conservative five- cation" and encouraged those present comes to us from outside this campus. interaction around discrimination." year trailing average for estimating to talk constructively. He also ad- That obstacle is fear," McFadden ex- He said that the previous night 's endowment spending. This, according dressed what he called the irony of the plained. "But we can commit to end- event was a "great first step" in fos- to Eaton, "smooths out the highs and College experiencing these problems ing it and embrace a culture of tering dialogue. lows" of the market. Other schools the same week the nation elected its openness, of generosity, and yes, of Other speakers offered different CMWUNE DICKSON ¦' Tut COLBY ECHO first black president. love and caring. Would you rather live "Dialogue Not Debate "facilitators, like Professor and Director of "Our work and our lives together in such a community?" It is time for See ECONOMY , Page 2 Education Mark Tappan, led discussions last Wednesday. See DIALOGUE, Page 2 Alumnus appointed to Obama Cabinet THIS WEEK'S ECHOI Rouse '68 to serve as Senior Advisor in White House the ranks of 21 of his Democratic colleagues to oppose the confir- By DOUG PROCTOR a Senior Advisor in the White House degree at the London School of Eco- mation. NEWS STAFF in the coming administration. nomics, then attended the John F. Obama 's decision to vote against Peter Rouse 68 was selected by After graduating from the College, Kennedy School of Government at Roberts' confirmation generated seri- the Obama transition team to serve as Rouse went on to obtain a Master's Harvard University. ous debate in Washington about the Rouse worked for over thirty years role of senators in voting to confirm in the United States Senate, most Supreme Court justices, and whether prominently as a top aide to Senator Obama, as a part of the opposition, Tom Daschle (D-SD) until Daschle had overstepped its boundaries. lost reelection in 2004. Soon after, he Rouse is said to have recom- was recruited as Obama's Seriate chief mended to Obama that he vote "No" of staff.